


100

by DopeSolo



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Drabble, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-16
Updated: 2014-11-16
Packaged: 2018-01-12 16:01:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1191120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DopeSolo/pseuds/DopeSolo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I found a list of 100 drabbles and this is my attempt to complete it.  </p><p>Takes place whenever, wherever and in no real sort of order.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1-4

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Introduction  
> 2\. Complicated  
> 3\. Making History  
> 4\. Rivalry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Introduction  
> 2\. Complicated  
> 3\. Making History  
> 4\. Rivalry

**1\. Introduction**

                "Nervous?" Hope asked, keeping her gaze on the faces of the cheerful crowd in front of them.  
                "Nervous?" Kelley scoffed and leaned her head toward the taller woman. "This isn't my first rodeo, Solo."  
                Hope let out a small smirk as the announcer finished listing off the Russian roster. "Which, as I recall, ended with you tripping on your shoelaces when we left the locker room."  
                Kelley grinned and looked to Hope but the keeper still kept her eyes forward, hands behind her back. "Listen, that was because-" Her voice was drowned out as the crowd cheered for Abby.  
                "In goal, number one, Hope Solo!" The crowd roared again and Hope pressed her fingers to her lips and raised a wave to both sides of the field.  
                "Number five, from Fayetteville, Georgia - Kelley O'Hara!" The crowd cheered again and Kelley waved to both sides of the field. She caught site of her family in the stands and beamed a huge smile before turning back around to face forward.  
                The rest of the team was introduced and Hope nudged Kelley with an elbow. Kelley turned to the keeper. Hope smiled at her "It's good to have you back, KO."

**2\. Complicated**

                "You're making this more complicated than it really has to be," Hope sighed. It was too early for this and Kelley had honed this skill to piss Hope off in less than five minutes flat. Hope glanced around the room and eyed the telephone. Maybe she could call room service instead. Or just brave the cold and walk to the nearest Starbucks.  
                "You can't just make these ridiculous single serve coffees without filtering the water first," Kelley reasoned. She was trying to latch some weird device onto the top of its counterpart. It was a new travel-sized water filter that her grandma had given her (along with an article about the dangers of hotel water) and she was insistent upon using it any chance she could. Hope leaned on the doorframe, arms folded. At first watching Kelley try to put this gadget together had been amusing. But that was five minutes ago. She should have coffee in her hands by now.  
                "Stop hovering," Kelley complained. "You're making me nervous."  
                Hope rolled her eyes and walked to the window. The weather outside still looked cold and windy. Cold she could handle. Wind she could handle. The two mixed together? Not her favorite thing. She sighed and turned around and began to look around for her shoes. The lobby had to have coffee at least. She found one yellow Nike under her bed and lifted the skirt of Kelley's bed to look for the other. She huffed. The universe was against her. Hope dug through her suitcase and still, the shoe was nowhere to be found. Where the hell was it?  
                She climbed back up to her feet and made for the bathroom. It was the only place where her shoe could be and why it would be there was beyond Hope. She rounded the corner just as Kelley emerged from the small alcove with a paper cup of steaming hot coffee in hand. Kelley and Hope almost collided. Kelley's face screwed up into a wince, expecting the scalding coffee to drench her chest.  
                Hope somehow managed to use their combined momentum and spun the two of them with one hand on Kelley's waist, the other clasped over both of Kelley's hands that held the cup, in an awkward twist that ended up sloshing only a few drops of coffee over the edge and onto the carpet. Kelley looked at the cup, then the ground, then to Hope. Hope's eyebrows raised, equally bewildered.  
                "Coffee?" Kelley asked, freckled face erupting into a grin. She eased the cup from both of her hands and let Hope take it. The keeper shook her head and took a careful sip. It tasted no different from any other hotel coffee she had before but the hopeful look on the defender's face made Hope bite her tongue.  
                "Tastes great."

 **3\. Making History**  
  
                Kelley sat in her chair, still in awe with her eyes glued to the TV. The commercial had zero interest for her but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the screen. Until her phone began to blow up with text messages and tweets. She glanced at the screen where a message had popped up "You were just on ESPN!"  
                An arm draped over her shoulder, snapping her out of her trance and she looked into the sparkling eyes of Hope. "How does it feel, KO?"  
                "Huh?"  
                Hope jostled the smaller woman a little and pulled Kelley into her side. "You're making history."  
                Kelley laughed and glanced at the TV screen again, not quite believing she had made it onto ESPN's Top Ten Countdown.  
                "That might be a bit of an exaggeration," Kelley said.  
                "So humble already," Hope chuckled. "Seriously. What kind of a defender has a hat trick in a championship match? You won us the Algarve."  
                "I used to be a forward, you know,"  Kelley replied. "Won the Hermann Trophy, if you recall."  
                "From humble to a Kanye West ego in five seconds,"  Hope glanced at an imaginary watch on her wrist. "I'm impressed."  
                Kelley gently elbowed the keeper in the ribs. "Jerk."  
                Her phone buzzed in her hand again. Kelley looked at the screen and her eyebrows raised. 20, 22, 26 messages. And counting.  
                Hope made to move her arm from Kelley's shoulder but the defender was quick to latch onto Hope's wrist and keep it in place. Hope raised an eyebrow. Kelley set her phone to silent and tossed it onto the table, free from its endless buzzing. Kelley shrugged. The messages could wait. Right now, she was where she wanted to be.

 

**4\. Rivalry**

                Hope felt a tap on her shoulder and lifted her beanie up and away from her eyes.  Kelley stood in the aisle of the bus, blanket in hand. Hope pulled her headphones off, the sound of Feist drifted away.  
                "What's up?"  
                "Tobin and Alex are at it again."  
                Hope raised her head and peered over the heads in front of her. Most of the team was passed out and the lights were all off - except the lights above Alex and Tobin. They were angrily whispering to each other and in the quiet bus, it carried fairly well. Hope glanced to Kelley.  
                "Can I sleep with you? They won't shut up and because of their stupid Monop Deal rivalry, I can't sleep and then I'm just going to get grumpy and then I'll hate everyone and I don't want to hate everyone," she whined in an all too-tired voice.  
                Hope smiled and scooted over and dropped her bag from the seat next to her onto the ground. She nudged it under the seat with a foot and nodded to Kelley. The smaller woman let out a sigh of relief and dropped into the seat next to Hope.  
                "Thank you. You're the best," Kelley murmured as she began arranging her blanket to cover the both of them. Hope let out a yawn and nodded before she pulled her headphones back on and pulled the rim of her beanie back over her eyes. She let her head rest against the window and let out a contented sigh.  
                She let out a small smile when she felt Kelley burrow into her side. The defender had little to no knowledge of what personal space was. Hope Solo was a huge supporter of it and normally would do her best to keep her distance from people. However, the weight of Kelley pressed against her was more comforting than annoying which puzzled Hope. Instead of dwelling on it - because that was never a good idea when it came to Kelley - Hope let it ride and instead, waited for Feist lull her back to sleep.


	2. 5-9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 5\. Unbreakable  
> 6\. Obsession  
> 7\. Eternity  
> 8\. Gateway  
> 9\. Death

**5\. Unbreakable**

                Kelley inwardly cursed herself as she tore after the attacker. One misstep and she was scrambling to regain her footing and get to the striker before she had a chance to - her breath caught in her throat - shoot. The ball flew like a rocket to the top corner of the far post.  
                Like the panther Kelley secretly compared her to, lest anyone find out and tease her for it, Hope backpedaled and in seconds was in the air, gloves outstretched. Her fingertips grasped the bright yellow ball and by some miracle that only Hope Solo could manage, she pulled the ball down and into her chest. Hope's side rammed into the post on her descent and she crashed into the ground a moment later, ball still glued to her chest.  
                Kelley ignored the excited cheers of the fans as she slowed to a stop a foot or two short of the keeper, slightly worried at how slow Hope was to get to her knees, then her feet. Kelley's shoulders slumped. She knew she fucked up. Hope waved the ref away, signaling that she was okay and a moment later, sent the ball careening across the pitch. Hope was above showing weakness on the field the majority of a time.  
                Kelley kept an eye on Hope and saw her wince and rub her shoulder with one gloved hand while the other gently prodded her own ribs. Another wince. Hope Solo wasn't unbreakable, after all. Kelley balled her fists. She made a silent promise to keep Hope out of that sort of situation again. Hope's eyes met Kelley's and right then, Kelley knew that her own resolve was unbreakable.

**6\. Obsession**

                "You know," Hope muttered dryly, "This obsession of yours is unhealthy."  
                Kelley shushed Hope and kept her eyes glued to the TV. Hope sighed and returned her attention to her book.  
                "It's not an obsession," Kelley argued, two minutes later when a louder than necessary commercial brought Hope out of her book once again. She turned to Kelley and raised an eyebrow.  
                "It's not!" Kelley proclaimed. "This stuff could come in handy, one day."  
                Hope let out an "uh-huh" and went back to her book.  
                "Don't 'uh-huh' me, Solo. You just wait. Someday the zombie apocalypse will happen and I'm going to have this wealth of knowledge on how to survive. You'll be begging me to save you."  
                "KO, a Walking Dead marathon isn't really an instructional guide on something that'll never happen."  
                "Please," Kelley scoffed and tossed a pillow at Hope, which the keeper easily deflected to the ground without taking her eyes off the pages in front of her. "I mean, did _you_ know how to turn a prison into a fort before this show came along? I think not." When Hope didn't respond, Kelley climbed off her bed and hopped onto Hope's bed and pawed at Hope.  
                "Get off, Kel. I'm trying to read."  
                "Watch this with me."  
                "No."  
                "Please? It's so informative. And Hershel! He's so-" Kelley stopped mid sentence and her eyebrows furrowed. She glanced from her bed to Hope's. "Why is your bed comfier?"  
                "What?" Hope asked. "They're the same bed, Kel."  
                "No, this is definitely comfier. Trade me."  
                "No."  
                "Fine." Kelley huffed and climbed off of Hope's bed only to return a moment later with more pillows and that damned stuffed squirrel.  
                "We're not sharing," Hope said, eyes not leaving her book.  
                "Yes we are, shh." Kelley said and made herself comfy, using Hope's shoulder as a headrest. The show came back on and Hope groaned.  
                "You're the worst roommate ever."  
                "You love me."  
                "I don't think I-" Hope was cut off as Kelley clamped a hand over her mouth.  
                "No talking during the show." Hope threw her book to the side and crossed her arms and turned her gaze to the TV. Kelley smiled.  
               

 **7\. Eternity**  
                It's been an eternity, Kelley muses. She looks at her watch then shifts from one foot to another. She's bundled up in a pea coat and scarf and is standing next to a rather tall limo driver. He has the effect that her small frame couldn't hope to muster and the crowd parts a good number of feet before him. Kelley looks around and smiles at the various moments surrounding her. Couples reunited. Fathers hugging children. Mothers and daughters clinging on to each other. Friends squealing and jumping. Businesspeople already talking a mile a minute on their phones. Kelley grins and looks down at her watch again. It's been fifteen minutes. She pulls out her phone. No text message. Kelley swallows and looks up again, scanning the now  thinning crowd of newly-arrived passengers.  
                Arms snake around her from behind and Kelley tenses for a fraction of a second before her nose is filled with the unmistakable smell that is a mixture of the perfume Kelley had bought months ago and the minty-pine that was Hope.  
                "I missed you," Hope murmurs into Kelley's hair, lips brushing against her ear. Kelley spins around and her arms automatically reach up around Hope's neck, fingers clasped at the base of the older woman's neck. The blue eyes that sparkle back at her leaves Kelley almost breathless. Hope dips her head down and captures Kelley's own lips in a long, drawn out kiss. Her arms pull Kelley close against her to that no space exists between the two of them.  
                When Kelley opens her eyes she finds Hope looking at her with a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.  
                "I don't know if I can do this living on the opposite side of the country anymore," Hope says and drops her forehead to rest against Kelley's. Her hands dig into Kelley's coat pockets and Kelley smiles. "I miss you more and more every time." It's incredibly sappy but coming from Hope, Kelley knows it's incredibly honest as well.  
                "Well, we'll have to fix that, won't we?"  
                Hope pulls her head back and raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"  
                "You're looking at the Reign's newest defender," Kelley says and bites her lower lip, eyebrows raised.  
                Hope beams and pulls her in for another kiss.

 **8\. Gateway**  
                That rare, genuine smile. That was the gateway into what Kelley would later refer to as her self-diagnosed addiction to Hope Solo. When they first met, Hope was all business and frankly, didn't care to have much to do with Kelley. She was polite and professional of course. But she was polite and professional in the way that Kelley was with her dentist.  
                It was only when Pia dropped the bomb that the award-winning Stanford forward would be thrown into the backline. Thrown to the wolves. And she did it in her carefree Pia-way that left Kelley more than frustrated with herself for not picking up the role of a defender as quick as she wanted. She stumbled more than a few times, was yelled at by Hope - no, not yelled at, that was too harsh even for the stoic keeper -  she was _thoroughly instructed by means of a loudly projected voice._ There. That sounded better.  
                Kelley remembers the gateway clearly. She had been sitting on the stool in front of her locker, hair wild and barely contained in its ponytail. Grass stains all over her worn looking practice uniform. The locker room had cleared out, laughter echoing down the hall as her teammates made their way to the bus.  
                Kelley's shoulders heaved and her breath stuttered. She would not break down and cry. Not now. She wouldn't give up after all of these years of wanting to make the National Team. A new position wasn't the end of the world. But it felt like it. How did Krieger and the others make it look so effortless? Kelley dropped her head in her hands. Maybe this was it. Maybe she couldn't hack it as a defender. From subbing a few minutes in the World Cup to going out as an awful excuse as a defender. She sniffed. Her Wikipedia page would be a paragraph. Maybe two.  
                A pair of Nikes fell into her line of sight and she lifted her head up. Hope stood above her, bag slung over her shoulder.  
                "Don't beat yourself up, O'Hara. It takes time."  
                Kelley was not one for pity parties. And she hated false optimism despite her cheerful nature.  
                Kelley shrugged and dropped her gaze down and clasped her hands together, forearms resting on her knees. "It's been too long. I'm not going to get called up anymore. I can't adjust to this," Kelley groaned. She shook her head and felt the sting of tears at the back of her eyes.  
                Hope dropped her bag to the floor and squatted down in front of the rookie defender. She tapped Kelley's knee with her knuckles. Kelley lifted her eyes to Hope's.  
                "It's tough, Kelley. Trust me, I get that. But you're on the National Team. You wouldn't be here now if Pia or the rest of the staff didn't believe you were worth the time or effort. I sure as hell wouldn't have wanted you back there with me if I didn't think you were capable. You have skill. We have a lot of forwards. This is where you're needed and there's no one else on the team who could make this transition."  
                Kelley bit her lip, wanting to argue, but Hope continued on. "You're smart. Or at least Stanford says you are." Kelley let out a small smile at that. "Use your knowledge as a forward to your advantage. You know the options. You're a step ahead of them. You'll get it. Someday, it'll click. Maybe it's tomorrow, maybe it's in a month. Maybe I have to keep yelling at you until I lose my voice but you will be a world class defender, Kelley. I know it."  
                Kelley's chest clenched and she let out a watery laugh, "Well jeez, Hope. What sort of motivational speaking course did you enroll in? I guess if I quit now I'd be a real asshole after that speech. Then what would you think of me?"  
                Hope laughed and bam. That smile lit up her face, teeth gleaming and skin crinkling at the corners of her eyes. She patted Kelley's knee and collected her bag off the ground. "Get changed, Kelley. The bus is leaving in five."  
                Kelley watched Hope leave the locker room and took a deep breath. It was only then that she was certain of two things. 1) She would believe anything Hope said from there on out. 2) She'd do her damndest to get a smile out of Hope like that again.

**9\. Death**

                Hope was never good with death. She didn't know how to act around those in mourning, didn't know what to say and never knew what was the best course of action when it came to this sort of thing. Saying 'I'm sorry for your loss' always seemed like such a ridiculous phrase. Loss? It's not like someone just up and disappeared. They didn't get misplaced. They weren't lost. They died. Passed on. Hope shook her head. She wasn't good at death.  
                So when she found Kelley on the patio outside, shuddering with sobs Hope had no idea what to do. She stuck her hands in her pockets and opened the door. Leo bounded out ahead of her and nuzzled his head onto Kelley's shoulder, letting out a small whine. Kelley wrapped an arm around him and pulled the dog closer to her.  
                Hope swallowed and bit the bullet. She made her way next to Kelley and eased herself next to the defender. Kelley sniffled and kept her tear-filled gaze on her shoes.  
                Hope wrapped an arm around the smaller woman's shoulders and Kelley instantly folded into Hope's side. Leo maneuvered himself until he was laying on top of their shoes.  
                Kelley hiccupped and sighed. She brought a sleeve-covered hand to her face and wiped at her tears. "I don't know why I'm crying so much," Kelley whispered.  
                Hope rubbed her palm up and down between Kelley's shoulder blades, still unsure of what to say or do.  
                "I need to book a flight back to Georgia," Kelley said, mostly to herself. "I'll have to call Laura. Explain to her."  
                Hope leaned over a pressed a kiss to Kelley's temple. "I'll take care of it. We'll fly out tomorrow morning."  
                Kelley turned to her, glassy eyes searching Hope's gaze. "We? Hope you don't have to-"  
                Hope let her hand trail up to the back of Kelley's neck and gave it a gentle yet comforting squeeze and brought it around to wipe a stray tear from Kelley's cheek. She let out a small smile. "I want to."  Kelley smiled and threw her arms around Hope and buried her face into Hope's neck. She inhaled deeply and let out a shuddering breath.  
                "Thank you."  
                Hope held Kelley tight. Even though she had no idea what she was doing, she felt that she she was doing it right.


	3. 10-13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 10\. Opportunities  
> 11\. 33%  
> 12\. Dead Wrong  
> 13\. Running Away

**10\. Opportunities**  
  
                "No."   
                "C'mon, Hope! Opportunities like this should not be squandered because you're grumpy."   
                "I'm not grumpy. That's just dumb," Hope argued and turned to keep walking. Kelley held up a finger to the bored-looking carnie and hurried after the taller woman.   
                "Take your time, sweetheart," The carnie called. "I doubt your ladyfriend can win anything anyway." Hope stopped in her tracks and Kelley skidded to a stop to keep from running into her. Hope turned around and locked eyes with the bearded, sweaty-man.   
                "Excuse me?" The carnie chuckled as Hope stalked back toward the game. Kelley followed a few feet behind, worrying her bottom lip.   
                "I said you probably can't win. Bad aim, I'd venture to guess. The kiddie games are over there," he pointed behind the women, "You're at least guaranteed a goldfish on those."      
                Hope squared her shoulders and pursed her lips. Kelley swallowed and looked between the two. Time for damage control.   
                "Listen, Hope, let's just go get a-" she began when Hope shook her head.   
                "No," Hope interrupted. She dug into her back pocket and pulled out a small wad of bills. She slapped a five dollar bill on the counter.   
                "Which one do you want?" She asked, her eyes scanning the rows of cheesy stuffed animals.   
                "Um," Kelley looked and pointed at the first animal her eyes fell on. A purple unicorn. "That one?"   
                Hope nodded at the man and he grinned and snatched up the money. Within seconds he produced a bag of pellets and loaded the small air rifle. He leaned back against the stand's wall and waved a hand.   
                "Good luck, honey."   
                Hope bristled at his mocking tone and picked up the rifle, half-tempted to shoot him in his grease-stained gut. She lifted it to her shoulder, took aim and began to shoot out the small black star on the white cardboard target. Within a minute the gun was empty and she laid it on the counter. The carnie chuckled and took his time pulling the target from its hook. He handed it to Hope. The star was almost completely obliterated. Only a small tip of the top of the star still showed.   
                Hope huffed and reached into her pocket for another five dollars. Kelley sighed and took a seat on the empty stool next to Hope's.   
                "Good luck, honey," The man crooned once more.   
                Forty-five dollars later, the carnie let out a whoop, "Winner, winner, winner! We _finally_ got a winner!" He handed Hope the shredded target and Kelley a giant purple unicorn.   
  
**11\. 33%**   
  
                "How sure are you about this?" Hope asked tilting her head. She crossed her arms and took a cautious step forward.   
                "I'd say I'm 33% sure," Kelley replied as she reached up to grasp another branch. "It's stuck. If I call 911 the fire department will laugh at me."   
                "If _I_ call 911 the ambulance will yell at me for letting you do this in the first place," Hope replied and watched Kelley heave herself up to another branch.   
                Kelley paused and looked down at Hope. She was fifteen feet in the air and finally level with the small kitten who had been meowing non-stop. The two had been on a run through the park when Kelley stopped to save the stuck animal. She couldn't just leave it there! She had to save the poor thing from falling to its death or from getting eaten by some giant bird of prey.  
                Hope of course had tried to dissuade the defender from this mission but Kelley was adamant. No, of course Kelley wasn't going to fall and ruin her soccer career. Right? So Hope kept watch, feet firmly planted on the ground while Kelley inched her way along the tree's branch. Then stopped.   
                The cat turned toward Kelley and made a nearly-demonic-sounding hiss. Kelley froze. Hope's eyebrows shot up. The cat let out another hiss and leapt to a lower branch and without hesitation, dropped to the ground and ran off. Hope was about to mock Kelley's attempt at playing the hero to a cat that obviously did not need saving.   
                "Well that was a waste of-" Hope began and stopped when a crack interrupted her. Kelley felt the branch give way and she nearly lost her grip. She let out a yelp as her feet dangled as she held on tight to the branch.   
                "Hope! What do I do?" Hope moved closer to the tree and glanced around at a complete loss. She looked to the branch. It was slowly tearing away from the trunk.   
                "Let go, Kel!"   
                "What? No way!"   
                "It's not that far of a drop."   
                "It's like twenty-" The branch tore a little more, causing another yelp, "Twenty feet down!"   
                "Jesus. You just _had_ to climb up there when I told you it was a bad idea."   
                "Not the issue now, Solo!"   
                "Also, it's not twenty feet. It's ten at best."   
                "Not helping!"   
                "Let go. I'll catch you."   
                "Catch me?" Kelley sounded incredulous.   
                "Or break your fall. Whatever. Let go." Hope planted her feet and stood under Kelley. "Just don't kick me in the face"   
                Kelley couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up. "Shut up!"   
                Hope grinned. "Let go, KO."   
                "Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay," Kelley repeated. She glanced down. "Ready?"   
                "Let go!"   
                Kelley let go and closed her eyes.   
                Hope did her best to catch Kelley and the smaller woman fell into her arms and knocked her onto her back in a heap of tangled limbs, grunts, and gaps of air. She opened her eyes and clung to Hope who let out a groan.   
                "Are you hurt?" Hope coughed out and immediately ran a hand over whatever parts of Kelley she could reach.   
                "Only my ego is. Are you okay?"   
                "I'm okay with you buying me a massage after this ordeal."   
                Kelley grinned and leaned down to plant a kiss on Hope's cheek.   
                "Can we never do that again? I don't think risking our lives for a stupid cat is reason enough to force an early retirement," Hope grumbled.   
                "Well, I told you I was only 33% sure that saving the cat would work," Kelley reasoned.   
                Hope scoffed and rolled Kelley off of her.

**12\. Dead Wrong**   
  
                She thought that they had talked about this and had come to an understanding. No. She knew they had talked about this. Extensively. Multiple times. They didn't want any kind of confusion as to what this was. It wasn't a relationship. It wasn't something to tell teammates or friends about. It wouldn't lead to spending holidays with one another's families and it certainly wouldn't resemble anything for fan girls to drool over thanks to hashtags and photos on Instagram or Twitter.   
                The only thing this was, was physical. No emotions. No feelings. No romance. It was a raw need to have sex for the sole reason of having sex. Nothing more.   
                So when Hope woke up in her bed and she saw a bare freckled back peeking out from her tan sheets; when she spent an entire fifteen minutes relishing in the warmth of another body instead of escaping the bed as quickly and as quietly as possible in order to avoid dealing with awkward morning after interaction; when Hope found herself leaning forward to kiss a trail over that bare back and rub a hand over the dip of her lower spine; when she was positive that there was no better sound to wake up to than that of Kelley's deep breaths; Hope knew that she was dead wrong about what this had evolved into.   
                It terrified her.   
  
**13\. Running Away**   
  
                Kelley couldn't believe it. Well. Maybe she could. Okay. She totally could. She knew Hope well enough to have expected this. She knew Hope wholeheartedly believed that she couldn't ever have and keep what she deserved and wanted. In Hope's life, there were no happy endings and any happiness were only small fleeting moments the popped up in an otherwise unhappy string of events.   
                They stood on opposite ends of the coffee table in Hope's living room. Kelley had to get back to her hotel and back to the East Coast with the rest of her teammates.   
                "It's funny," Kelley shook her head and crossed her arms, not quite ready to leave until they hashed this out, "That even when we're on your home turf, when you're finally able to have a little bit of something good in your life, you're running away."   
                Hope pursed her lips. "I'm not running away."   
                "You are," Kelley sighed. Her arms dropped to her sighed. She would've taken a step or two around the table if she wasn't mostly convinced that Hope would literally run away from this conversation.   
                "I'm not. We agreed to what this was, Kelley."   
                "I know what we agreed to. But that doesn't mean things haven't changed between us," Kelley replied. "You woke me up with coffee just the way I like it. I mean, you even got the creamer I love. If this was really just some friends with benefits thing, you'd have sent me back in a cab last night."   
                It was time to be brutally honest. They had danced this dance too long and Kelley was getting tired of it. It was taking a toll on her emotionally. All of these mixed signals, the hot and the cold - it was wearing on her. Kelley wasn't naive. She knew the ramifications of what could happen if whatever it was between them actually became an actual relationship instead of some ghosting of something that was open to seven kind of misinterpretations.   
                Kelley wanted a direction of some sort. Whether it was reverting back to a strictly physical relationship (which of course would just suck knowing that something tangible was in her grasp) or moving forward and acknowledging what they had was something real and concrete and something they could openly share. Kelley had had enough. She needed an answer now.   
                Hope sighed, "Having the creamer you like isn't some sort of romantic gesture, Kelley. It's just creamer."   
                "To other people, maybe," Kelley reasoned. "But I know you Hope. Better than most. I was your friend before we uh, before we started sleeping together." She ran a hand through her hair. "I'm not going anywhere if you don't want me to. I'm not asking for marriage, Hope. I'm just asking for a chance for both of us to be a little happier because I know you won't ask for that chance."   
                Hope let out a breath and broke eye contact. She glanced down to Leo who had nervously been looking between the two women, sensing the uneasiness in the room.   
                Hope took a deep breath and brought her gaze back to those hazel eyes she couldn't seem to get enough of.   
                "What if I lose you?"   
                Kelley's shoulders slumped and she let out a small smile and slowly walked around the table until she was standing toe to toe with Hope. She eased Hope's hands free and held them against her own chest. Hope's fingers easily intertwined with Kelley's and she dropped her forehead onto Kelley's.   
                "I don't want to risk losing you down the road when I mess up."   
                "Who says you're going to be the one to mess up? Or that you're going to lose me?" Kelley asked and held Hope's gaze, waiting for some self-deprecating answer that Hope always seemed to have ready to dish out when it came to this sort of thing.   
                "Because that's how it works," Hope reasoned quietly.   
                "That's how it worked before," Kelley replied. She saw the torment in Hope's eyes. "It can be different this time."   
                Hope swallowed and closed her eyes. Why couldn't she understand that it absolute could be different? That she wasn't destined for settling for less than all the world had to offer.   
                Hope took a step back and gently pulled her hands out of Kelley's grasp and shook her head. Her eyes stayed on the ground between them. Kelley's pulse raced. The sound of her own heartbeat in her ears almost drowned out what Hope choked out next.  
                "I better get you back to the hotel," she murmured.


	4. 14-16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 14\. Judgment  
> 15\. Seeking Solace  
> 16\. Excuses

**14\. Judgment**

                "I'm not usually one to pass judgment," Carli said. At Hope's raised eyebrow she amended her statement with, "Well. I mean I did with you when we first met but look where we are now. I'm your 'very good friend Carli Lloyd' and you're sitting in your room moping and Skyping me. That's basically asking to be judged."  
                Hope rolled her eyes. "Did I fuck up?"  
                Carli smiled, "Hope. The fact that you're even asking that should be answer enough."  
                Hope looked down at the illuminated keyboard of her laptop. "I don't know what to do, Car."  
                "Apologies help," Carli offered. "You need to talk to her before she heads back to the East Coast. But before you do that, you need to figure your own personal shit out. If you patch things up and move forward, there's going to be a lot of consequences. Good and bad."  
                Hope nodded and brought her eyes back to the screen where Carli's face was glowing from her own computer screen.  
                "Look at it this way," Carli grinned, "If you make it work... you two could be the next Ellen and Portia!"  
                "Oh Jesus, Carli," Hope scoffed but couldn't keep the grin off of her face. Carli laughed and held a hand to her mouth as it dissolved into a yawn.  
                "Think about it. Let me know what happens."  
                "I will. Thanks Carli Lloyd."  
                "You're welcome, my very good friend, Hope Solo," Carli replied and waved at the screen before disconnecting the call.  
                Hope set the laptop aside and took a deep breath. She checked the time. It was already too late in the night to call Kelley and talk to her. Really talk to her.   
                Her phone buzzed and lit up. Kelley's grinning face filled the screen.  
                Hope swiped at the screen and held the phone to her ear. "Kelley?"  
                "I left my purse at your place," Kelley's voice came over the line, tired and flat. "I need it."  
                "I'll bring it to you. I'll leave right now. Listen Kelley I-"  
                "Thanks. I'll be in the lobby," Kelley interrupted and disconnected the call.  
                Hope's heart thudded in her chest. She fucked up. But maybe it wasn't too late to fix this after all.  


 **15\. Seeking Solace**  
  
                Hope pulled up to the hotel and killed the engine. She took a deep breath, grabbed Kelley's earlier forgotten purse and made her way to the hotel's front doors. Her sneakers, wet from a fresh rain outside, squeaked on the marble floor. Kelley was curled up on a small sofa in the lobby, fiddling with her phone.  
                She looked up when Hope approached, unfolded herself, and got to her feet. She didn't make eye contact but reached for her purse instead.  
                "Thanks. Sorry to put you out. Good luck with your next game," Kelley said. Hope reached out with her free hand and grasped Kelley's forearm and let it fall to her wrist. Kelley gently tugged it back and folded her arms.  
                "Can we talk?" Hope asked, ducking her head a little to try and meet Kelley's gaze.  
                "I thought we already did. You made things clear," Kelley replied and leveled her eyes to meet the keeper's nervous gaze.  
                Hope bit her lip. "Listen. I," she ran a hand over her beanie, adjusting it just a bit. "I freaked out, Kel," she dropped her gaze to the tiles between them. Hope was always a direct person and was never one to avoid eye contact, no matter how unpleasant the conversation. But like most things, when Kelley was a factor, Hope was left upside down and trying to figure out how to adapt. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didn't.  
                "I don't want to lose this," she began again. She glanced over to the front desk attendant who was tapping away at her computer. Hope reached for Kelley's elbow, and was silently grateful that Kelley didn't pull it out of Hope's grasp, and lead them back to a more secluded area. She'd have preferred more privacy, but this seemed to be the only neutral ground when the only other options were Kelley's room or Hope's car. Neither of which were appealing.  
                She took a seat on the small loveseat and took a deep breath when Kelley sat next to her. Her mouth was set in a straight line and it threw Hope off. While the defender was usually known for smiling - something Hope had teased her about when she came across Kelley's bio on Twitter - it wasn't an unusual sight to see the defender serious or even angry. It came with being passionate about their sport. Soccer wasn't always smiles and joking. It was heartache, and anger, and a million other emotions in between. The look on Kelley's face now, however, was something Hope had zero experience with. It lacked any emotion whatsoever.  
                Hope steeled herself. "Kelley. I'm terrified of this. Of what this could mean for us, for the future. I don't like not knowing how things will turn out. What it could mean for both of us professionally and in our personal lives."  
                Kelley huffed and leaned forward. She rested her elbows on her knees and perched her cheek on a fist. She studied Hope.  
                "What are you saying? Because of your sponsors, or your mass sex appeal to all of these men around the world, because you might lose all of these potential deals that, that I don't know, that we can't be together? Business before anything else?" Her eyebrows knit together. "That's ridic-"  
                "I'm not saying that," Hope interrupted. "I'm not. I just... I've been made out to be the bad guy before. Plenty of times. The wrong people could turn a lot of people against me. Against you. I don't want you to get hurt by this."  
                She swallowed then continued on. "Kelley, I don't give a shit if every single sponsor drops me just because I love you. I just don't want you to be made out as the reason for a media shit storm. They'll hound you every day until some other newsworthy story comes up. You shouldn't have to deal with that."  
                Kelley looked Hope in the eye for a few beats and dropped her gaze to the ground between them. She let out a small smile then looked back up to Hope and moved her fist to under her own chin.  
                "You know that this entire argument of yours is invalid now, right?"  
                "What?" Hope was genuinely confused. She was trying to voice her concerns for God's sake and Kelley was just going to ignore it?  
                "You just said you love me."  
                Hope's mouth went dry. _Shit._

 **16\. Excuses**  
  
                "So," Kelley filled the silence. "Do you have any other excuses or can I just tell you that you're a big, dumb, jerk but I love you anyway?"  
                Hope's heart thudded against her chest. She felt lighter. It was amazing the difference a few words could make. Kelley moved and slipped her arms around Hope's middle and pressed her ear flat against Hope. The keeper instantly wrapped Kelley in her arms and pressed her mouth to the top of Kelley's head. It smelled like Kelley. A fresh summer breeze and with a hint of a warm spice.   
                "I'm sorry," Hope murmured into Kelley's hair. She closed her eyes, relishing in the lack of worry, the lack of regret, the lack of anything bad whatsoever. It was better now. Things would continue to get better because now she had Kelley. To hell with what anyone else thought.  
                Kelley maneuvered a hand upwards and let her fingers run over the muscles in Hope's back and any tension immediately dissipated. To think, Hope was going to deny this. Maybe she could have some good in her life. She silently prayed that it would be with Kelley for as long as possible.  
                Kelley shifted and pressed her lips to Hope's neck. Hope smiled and dipped her head. "Don't be sorry. Not anymore," She grinned and waggled her eyebrows. "Give me a smooch."  
                Hope laughed and after an eye-roll, leaned down and pressed her mouth to Kelley's waiting lips.  
No more excuses.


	5. 17-19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 17\. Vengeance  
> 18\. Love  
> 19\. Tears

**17\. Vengeance**

                "Vengeance will be miiiiine!" Kelley howled, fists balled, and took off from her poolside seat. Sydney was cackling and was already halfway around the pool, empty bucket in hand.  
                Hope sat there, hands still full of sun block. She kicked away a few cubes of ice that had landed at her feet. The warm sun provided a nice temperature contrast and a few ice cubes never hurt anyone. But more than a few, a bucket full - with water - apparently pissed off a napping Kelley to the point where a crime of passion could and would, likely occur.  
                Ashlyn, Kling, and Press had created a human barrier, arms interlocked, and it forced Sydney to a halt. She turned around, held up her hands, bucket swaying from a thumb, and choked out, "Don't be mad at me!"  
                "You just dumped ice water on me!" Kelley shot back, slowly advancing. "I was finally asleep! I haven't slept all week!" Her hair was still dripping wet.  
                "Kelley. Kel. Kell-bell." Sydney started. "I mean. Who should you be more mad at? Me for giving you a nice little shower unknowing of your sleep deprivation, or Hope for not even warning _or_ saving you?"  
                Kelley's head snapped around toward Hope, murder in her glare. "What?"  
                "She saw me comin' a mile away," Sydney said.  
                Hope let out a weak smile. "Um... I didn't think she'd actually do it?" Hope offered in a meager attempt to get the focus back on the forward.  
                Kelley turned the rest of her body and stalked back toward Hope. The smile fell from Hope's face and Sydney, still behind Kelley, visibly relaxed. She gave Hope the three-fingered salute from the Hunger Games. The rest of the team followed suit. Hope hated each and every one of them for it.  
                For the first time in a long time, Hope Solo was scared. If she lived through this, she'd break every Hunger Games DVD the team had and then she'd get her own vengeance on Leroux. If she lived through the five-foot-five storm of hellfire that was closing in on her, that is.

**18\. Love**

                "But I can't help it," Kelley looked at Hope for a split second before dropping to her knees and sighing. "I love him." She ran the palms of her hands over her thighs, slightly frustrated.  
                Hope stood there, one hand on a hip and the other pinching the bridge of her nose.  
                "This is ridiculous Kelley. You... you just met him."  
                "You're going to tell me who I can and can't love?" Kelley asked incredulously.  
                Hope sighed and readjusted the strap of her purse. She glanced around. At least they weren't making a scene.  Yet. Kelley had a knack for having private conversations in public. She had argued before that any conversation worth having, was worth having right then and there.  
                "You don't even know anything about him and what happens when the season starts up again? You're just going to leave him in Seattle while you run back to the east coast?"  
                "I'll be back to visit. Or maybe he'll come with me. I don't have to figure it out right now," Kelley said and climbed to her feet, using Hope's belt for leverage.  
                The two stood there, face to face for what seemed like an eternity.  
                "Excuse me, but, is there something I can help you with?" a teenage boy in a blue polo asked, slowly stepping up to the women.  
                Hope kept her eyes on Kelley a moment longer then turned toward the boy who shifted nervously from foot to foot.  
                "Yeah. We'd like to buy that hedgehog, please. And whatever ridiculously expensive gear that goes with it."  
                The boy smiled easily and nodded. "Yeah of course. Let me go get the keys and we'll get you on your way with her real soon," he said and hurried down the aisle.  
                "Her?" Kelley asked. "I thought it was a him."  
                "What? You don't want a her?" Hope asked, crossing her arms.  
                "Of course I do! But I can't call her Jeffrey, now can I?" Kelley grinned and stood on the tips of her toes to plant a kiss on Hope's cheek. She squeezed Hope's bicep and hugged it close, rubbing one hand up and down the leather sleeve of Hope's jacket.  
                "Guess not," Hope said and leaned into Kelley.  
                "Thank you, Solo."  
                Hope smiled and kissed the top of Kelley's head. "Anything for you, sweetheart."

**19\. Tears**

                It seemed that once the tears started, there was nothing Hope could do to stop them. She stayed there, on her knees, disbelieving of what just happened. The German kicker always shot low and to the left. Always. It was Hope's job to know who did what and how often. She dove left. The ball went right.  
                The roar of the crowd filled the stadium and the German kicker, the hero of the war, sprinted to her teammates and was tackled to the ground.  
                And Hope watched the Germans celebrate. World Cup victory was theirs. All because Hope dove left. She barely registered the first tear that slid down her cheek and time seemed to match her tear's pace. Everything melded into a blurry sort of slow-motion. The sound of the stadium grew in intensity but to Hope, it was like she was underwater and not one sound really registered.  
                She felt more tears make their way down her cheeks and her eyes fell onto the stricken faces of her teammates. She let them down. She let everyone down. This was her last chance before retirement. This was Abby's last chance. Christie's too.  
                Amidst the confetti-storm of swirling red, yellow, and black, Hope found a familiar pair of hazel eyes. Her heart ached. Her soul ached. Everything inside of her felt constricted and wrong. Still, the tears came down like a Seattle rain storm in the summer. Hot and wet and unrelenting.  
                Kelley was the first one to reach her. Pain in her eyes but no blame. No malice. No anger. Kelley dropped to her knees in front of Hope and pulled the utterly broken keeper into her arms. Hope wrapped her arms around Kelley and buried her head into the defender's shoulder. Her body wracked with sobs and Kelley rubbed her back, a hand tracing up and down the bold number one under Hope's name.  
                She felt Kelley's other hand cradle the nape of her neck.  
                "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm so," Hope coughed, "So sorry." she muttered into Kelley's shoulder.  
                Kelley only held on tighter.


End file.
